Getting started
Install CodexUse on your Mac, add your accounts, and open each one in its own Codex window, side by side. An OpenAI account signs in through the runtime bundled with your installed Codex or ChatGPT app, with no API key to enter. A custom-model account uses a credential you supply.
Requirements
- macOS 13 or later on Apple Silicon. Intel Mac desktop builds are not shipped.
- CodexUse also runs on Windows 11 x64 and Ubuntu 24.04 with fewer features: one Codex window per account and Auto-roll drive the official Codex app and need macOS. See platform support for the full split.
- Install Codex or ChatGPT Desktop. CodexUse uses its bundled runtime for sign-in, local task search, and Account Pool. A separate Codex CLI installation is not required.
- An internet connection for sign-in and model requests.
Install
Get the download on the website, which detects your machine, or use the manual check below.
I checked: my Mac has Apple Silicon
Download the Apple Silicon DMG, or run brew install --cask hweihwang/codexuse/codexuse.
Intel Mac or not sure? Do not download the desktop app. The cross-platform CLI is a separate alternative.
uname -m: linux-x64-CodexUse-Setup.tar.gz for x86_64, linux-arm64-CodexUse-Setup.tar.gz for aarch64. Unpack it and run the installer inside. Automatic updates are off on Windows, so install a newer package the same way.Add your first account
An account is one OpenAI account or one custom-model account. It is never a mix. Add at least one to start working.
- Open Accounts in CodexUse and click Add account.
- Choose OpenAI account.
- Enter an account name you will recognize later (Work, Personal, Client), click Continue to sign in, and finish signing in to OpenAI in your browser.
To run a non-OpenAI model in the Codex app instead, add the provider under CodexUse → Providers, then choose Custom model when you add the account. See custom model providers.
Open its window (macOS)
Each account gets exactly one Codex window. This drives the official Codex app, which OpenAI ships for macOS, so it is a Mac feature; on Windows and Linux the account is still saved, isolated, and ready for the Codex CLI. In Accounts, click Open to start that account’s window, or Show to bring a running window to the front. Every other account’s window keeps running and stays signed in. The status word beside each account (Open, Busy, Ready, Low, Needs sign-in, Needs setup) tells you what to expect. See Accounts.
Find a task
On macOS, click Search at the top of the sidebar, or press ⌘K. Search local task titles or folders across your accounts, or choose Archived tasks. Select a task and click Open task to open it in its owning account window.
Pick a theme
CodexUse starts in Light mode. Choose Light, Dark, or Follow system in the Preferences section of Settings. The whole app follows the active theme, including Accounts, Settings, cards, and dialogs. See the themes section in the settings docs.
Add the CLI command
The optional codexuse command runs Codex under any of your accounts from a terminal and manages Account Pool. It ships inside the app, at the app's version. Custom-model accounts and the Account Pool runtime need the desktop app. The cross-platform CLI does not provide desktop feature parity.
- Open Settings and click Add codexuse to Terminal.
- Open a new terminal, so it picks up the new
PATH. - Check it:
codexuse doctorOn a machine without the app, install it with npm install -g codexuse-cli instead. That copy needs Node.js 22.13 or later. See the CLI reference.
Where data lives
CodexUse stores accounts, credentials, config, and settings on your device. Anonymous product analytics are enabled by default.
- Codex CLI manages its own local config and auth files.
- CodexUse keeps its app data locally.
- Product analytics use a random anonymous ID and redact credential-shaped fields before upload.